ALLIGATOR BITES MADE SNAPPY

While I was over in the states I just had to cook alligator while watching swamp people on History, I fried a whole batch up and the whole family loved it.  I decided on Cajun seasoning as the swamp people are of Cajun origin.  Nice and spicy snappy bites of alligator tail fillet.  These tender melt in your mouth bites were even better with some original Louisiana hot sauce and cool blue cheese dip, I just buffaloed a gator!  

Ingredients

(serves 4)

454g bag Alligator tail fillet

1 tub Cajun spice mix

1 cup AP flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 ltr peanut oil for frying

Heat the oil to 180 degrees C, place the Cajun seasoning, salt and flour in a large bowl and mix to combine.  Dust the alligator bites in the Cajun seasoned flour and gently tap off any excess flour. 

In small batches place the seasoned alligator in the hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on some kitchen paper, serve hot with sides of Louisiana hot sauce and a creamy blue cheese dip, that’s it.

ALLIGATOR TACOS

Alligator tail fillet tacos, these are awesome!  My dad loved them I seasoned the alligator in Cajun spices and served in a soft corn taco with all the fixings and my Cajun remoulade.

Ingredients

(makes 8)

454g Alligator tail fillet

1 tub Cajun spices 

1 cup AP flour

1 ltr peanut oil for frying

1 bottle of Cajun remoulade

The Fixings

Ice berg salad

Guacamole 

Pico de gallo

Coriander

Chives

Fresh jalapeños

8 soft corn tacos

Heat the oil to 180 degrees C, place the Cajun seasoning and flour in a large bowl and mix to combine.  Dust the alligator bites in the Cajun seasoned flour and gently tap off any excess flour. 

In small batches place the seasoned alligator in the hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on some kitchen paper, pile high on a plate.  Heat the corn tacos till warm.

Serve family style on the table with all the fixings, so everyone can stuff them full of flavour for a lip smacking gorgeous taco.

WOOD FIRED SAN MANZANO PIZZA

Wood Fired Pizza's 

There is nothing more satisfying than making your own SAN Manzano Pizza and cooking it in your own wood fired pizza oven.  My mum built this pizza oven herself and is very proud of it.  Check out her blog Flower pot kitchen build your own wood fired oven.  

The secret to the most amazing pizza dough is in the ingredients and proving method, the professionals make their dough using the very best Italian 00 flour and leaving the dough to slowly prove in the fridge, YES the fridge over 24hrs, this is actually a easy method giving you more control over time.

Ingredients 

(Makes 6 pizza's)

The Dough

500g 00 flour

15g dried yeast

10g sea salt

50ml olive oil

320g water room temperature

Toppings 

San manzano tomatoes 

Di Campaina Buffalo mozzarella 

Fresh basil leaves 

First make your dough, you can once made leave to prove in a warm kitchen for around one hour tomprove, then your dough is ready to go the difference in proving your dough slowly in the fridge for 24 hrs is the improved texture in the dough when cooked as the slow proving gives you a crispier base.  Also the added bonus of being ahead on the day!

BONUS

Once your dough has proved you can now FREEZE the dough in portion balls so that all you have to do to be ready to go I whip out the dough, leave to defrost and come up to room temperature for about one hour and your a pizza a go go!

Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, in the measuring jug of water add the yeast and leave for a couple of minutes, its woth noting that if salt comes in contact with dried yeast before mixing it can de activate the yeast which will result in a low proven heavy dough.

Add the oil to the mixing bowl along with the water and yeast, mix bringing together to form a dough ball, either by hand or with a dough hook on a mixer knead the dough for seven minutes until smooth and elastic.  

Prove how you want to, when ready to use roll out on a slightly 00 floured work top and top with your favourite toppings and cook, these take a couple of minutes in a wood fired oven or if using a pizza stone in your oven around 8-10 minutes.  Enjoy.

LOUISIANA ALLIGATOR FRY

Crispy Cajun seasoned fillet of alligator tail succulent and melt in the mouth tender, great on its own but even better tossed in Louisiana hot sauce and served with a rich creamy blue cheese dip.

1 pack Louisiana alligator fillet

1 box Cajun seasoned fish fry coating

1 ltr peanut oil for frying

1 bottle Louisiana hot sauce

1 bottle blue cheese sauce

Heat your oil to 350 F / 180 C toss the alligator chunks in the Cajun fish fry coating, then fry the alligator for around 3 minutes until cooked all the way through, drain on kitchen paper and serve hot as they are or tossed through Louisiana hot sauce with a side of blue cheese dip.

DEEP FRIED BUTTER BALLS

These balls of hot seasoned garlic butter are awesome, the crispy shell gives way to a burst of intense creamy buttery flavour, these are a once a year treat and well worth the wait.  I saw these on the food network program at the Texas State fair and though while I’m in the states I am going to have to make these, they went down really well and everyone loved them.

Ingredients 

(Makes 16)

4 sticks butter softened

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp crushed red chillies 

1 box fish fry coating

2 eggs beaten

1 cup seasoned flour

1 ltr peanut oil for frying

Mix the garlic, chillies into the butter, using two teaspoons, form the butter mix in to small one mouthful bite size balls, place on a tray and pop in the freezer for a hour.  Set up your dredging station with three bowls, one with the eggs, one with the flour and one with the fry coating.  

Take the butter balls from the freezer once frozen and roll in the flour, then the egg and lastly the fish fry coating, place the balls back on the tray and back in to the freezer.  Once the coating has frozen the balls are ready to fry. 

Heat your peanut oil to 350 F / 180 C and fry the balls for approx 30 seconds, as soon as you get a little spatter of butter breaking out of the crispy shell remove the balls and place on kitchen paper.  Eat with caution as hot butter can burn.

CATFISH FRY CAJUN TACOS

Melt in the mouth tender succulent Cajun coated catfish served in a white soft corn taco with all the fixings.  No noodling required for this catfish fry!  

Ingredients 

(makes 4)

4 white raw corn tacos

1 catfish fillet

1 box Cajun seasoned fish fry coating

1 ltr peanut oil for frying

1 tomato finely diced

1 fresh jalapeño finely diced

1/4 green pepper diced

2 tbsp chopped coriander 

AMERICAN BLUEBERRY PIE

RUSTIC

I made this for my friend Troy, he lives in Australia and was over visiting and I asked what pie he would like thinking chicken and mushroom or steak, but No he wanted blue berry pie and we Troy returns later this year he has put a forward order in for chocolate eclairs! 

Ingredients 

(makes two pies)

The Pastry

450g plain flour

110g grated lard

110g grated butter

1 pinch of Himalayan sea salt 

180ml cold water

The Pie Filling

300g blueberries

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

Make the Pastry first as this will need to chill in the fridge for half an hour.  Place all the ingredients except the water in a large bowl and gently mix evenly, add the water and bring to a ball, wrap in cling film, press the ball flatter in to a disk and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Place the sugar, vanilla and blueberries in a saucepan over a low medium heat and cook until they resemble blueberry jam, remove from the pan and leave to cool.

Cut the pastry in half and one half can be frozen for your next batch.  Cut the remaining half in half again and shap into balls, roll out to the thickness of a pound coin.  Line the pie tin with the pastry, and trim off any excess, I like to crimp the top edges of the pastry for that rustic farmhouse look.  Line the inside of the pastry with baking paper and baking beans, 

Pre heat your oven 180 degrees C and bake for 15 minutes, remove the baking beans and parchment paper and bake for a further 5 minutes, add the pie filling and finish of baking for a further 10 minutes, serve warm with cream.